SW London Girls' Private & Grammar - applying for year 7 in 2023

[EmotiveBubblez]

i myself have been looking for this thread and have been unsuccessful. Saw a couple people mention it over the past day or so on the 2022 one.

so here we go, albeit a bit late.

has everyone visited all the schools on their lists?

how many schools are everyone applying to?

what schools are you applying to?

how is the preparation going?

i know some exams have taken place, how did they go?

wishing all the whirls good luck with preparation and exams, hope we all find the right schools for our daughters.

@hello555 We are still finalising. We are definitely applying to Sutton High, Woldingham, Ibstock Place and Kingston Grammar.
Have visited / considered but not applying to: St John's in Leatherhead, Epsom College and Surbiton
Still considering: Streatham and Clapham, Putney High, Wimbledon High, Harrodian and Emanuel.
We are clear that the upper limit is 5/6 exams (some of the schools we are considering are ISEB)

Can boy parents join in here too? We're applying to KGS and Ibstock too! Also some boys only schools.

@secondaryquandries , I personally see no problem at all (in fact, the more, the merrier, imho). @EmotiveBubblez and others might have views and the title might need to be changed by the site moderators.
I think that in previous years there was much more traffic with lots of people sharing views and experiences and there was a case for separate threads, which @EmotiveBubblez kindly mirrored. I see that this year there is less participation, so we might want to reflect that in expanding the thread.

First interview today (Sutton High). DD seems relatively relaxed about it ... it helps that it is online (hence in a familiar environment) and they have made clear that some 10 minutes. Keeping fingers crossed that the first experience goes well.

@QuiteAJourney How did it go? Was very informal when we did it!

@1forward2back It was very informal, like you say, and quite reassuring. A good sign that DD though that it had been shorter in time than it actually was. A good first experience so hopefully helping in getting more confident for others. Next thing we have coming up is interview and creative writing at Woldingham.

@1forward2back And thanks for asking, really appreciated. 🤗

Glad it went well quite a journey. Is it a favourite? Have you decided on your other schools yet?

@secondaryquandries we have added Emanuel, Harrodian, Streatham and Clapham and Wimbledon High to the list.
so 6 exams - ISEB plus Emanuel, Ibstock, Kingston Grammar, Sutton High and Wimbledon High.
Any one of them would be a good outcome (we agonised other Putney High as very close to us, but decided that we needed to limit exams to a maximum of 6) so all 'favourites' of sort. My daughter is particularly in love with Woldingham and Ibstock (which we both really liked) but we are trying to keep her and our minds open so early in the process [some of my friends have experienced favourites going down/up the list because of the experiences during the selection and offering process]
Have you finalised your list now?

Quiteajourney we're going for (in addition to grammar) mixed schools KGS and Ibstock. We considered Emanuel and Epsom also but I don't think we will. Then boys only Hampton, KCS Wimbledon and Reeds. It seems a lot but really don't want to end up empty handed!!

@secondaryquandries I so know what you mean.... we are not doing grammar so quite similar to you in numbers, I think. And, like you, a mix of co-ed and single sex [we found, for instance, Woldingham and Ibstock quite similar in certain ways, despite very different location and ethos].
We did consider Epsom (had forgotten about it) too but decided that the whole Saturday morning thing plus the distance put us off. We had almost disregarded Emanuel but ended up liking it more than we thought and it is very close to us, so ended up adding it to list

Yes Sat school put us off too. Also got the impression that Epsom is quite traditional, which is not really right for my son either. I loved Emanuel but the work like commute (it would be national rail for us) put us off in the end. Can't wait until this is all over! What are you doing to prep?

@secondaryquandries I tried to edit the title but I am unable to. anyone have any ideas how we can change the title?

I started this thread as I found the one for previous years very insightful and as mentioned before there was appetite for it.

@bjmin do you mind me asking what school your daughter attends?

We are visiting WHS, does anyone have any opinion on this school? Seems to be very popular.

From what I have heard and can see, you cannot go wrong with a GDST school - does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

@EmotiveBubblez I think that the title can only be changed by the Mumsnet administrators - worth dropping them a line (I think it will have to be you, as the one that stated the thread)

On the GSTD, I agree that they have much going for them (we are applying to 3!) but they are also quite distinct in character (we found Putney more traditional and rigid than WHS for instance, Sutton is very focused on pastoral and individuality, SCHS was quite diverse). We did like WH but not sure how DD will do with their assessment - it is generally considers as the one with more "surprising" results (the first round does not have any English or Maths, just verbal and non-verbal reasoning)

@secondaryquandries agree on Epsom seeming quite traditional. We also rules out St John's on that basis. Luckily, DD was very much in agreement and was not swayed by the Harry Potter-esque setting!

On the prep front, we are trusting our indie primary and complementing with some Atom Learning / 10-minutes tests (1-2 hours over the weekend). I am loathe to do too much as I think that it is about getting into a school that is the right sustainable fit for her (including on the academic front) rather than getting into a school because of extreme tutoring or preparation that you won't be able to sustain.

@QuiteAJourney thank you, I will email the moderators.

Putney did seem quite rigid but we liked it but sadly not applying because of date of assessment. At that time the state schools seem to be doing banding tests and then following week consortium exam and seems to much in a small space of time.

WHS I am also concerned about the assessment.

anyone applying for NHEHS? Really liked that one, it’s diverse, great pastoral care, girls down to earth and just seemed like an all rounder plus good at sport.

we are at a state primary and have been using atom and the school has an 11+ club- small tutoring groups. It’s important the process isn’t stressful, she has input in the process and has continued with her other activities as much as possible.

Anyone going for scholarships? Music, art or sport?

@EmotiveBubblez We did not look at NHEHS (we are South more than West, if you see what I mean) but have heard good things about it.

We are not applying for scholarships - DD quite musical (good singer, 2 instruments) but I think that the grades required means a small chance of scholarship plus prep and auditions would have added to the stress. Similar story on the art front. I know that some parents are applying for scholarships not so much because they think that the DC will get them but because they want to signal the other interests / abilities that the child has. We are relying on the interviews and reference letter from the school to do that. Hopefully that works.

@QuiteAJourney we are more west than south but on the district line, DD made clear she wants a relatively short commute and an all girls school and keen on certain subjects.

iliked SCHS but it’s too far south for us. anyone know much about South Hampstead High? We are considering this but transport is tricky and it’s not on a main road per se.

she is very good at netball and art but like you said all these assessments add up.

Time is moving so quickly we will blink and it’s November soon.

I'm a bit 😵at the number of schools everyone is thinking of applying for. A friend said her DD applied to 5 and that it was a bit much, so is been thinking of 3 but now I'm worried we're not keeping enough options open. We're more SW London/Surrey and considering LEH, KGS, GHS, Surbiton and Claremont.

@snowgirl1 I have to say, you have to go by your gut and scheduling and knowing your child. Also if they are ISEB or Consortium schools then you can apply for more schools as it is only one exam but then if you get interviews for all you will have to take that into consideration.

This is our first time and it is a minefield.

@snowgirl1 , like @EmotiveBubblez says, it just depends on quite a few factors. For instance, our DD is quite anxious and can have bad days so she asked us for more options as that will help her feel more relaxed. Another factor to consider is the type of exams (some of the them are more intense than other, do you have the same exam for several schools) and the sequencing and timings (we might drop out of some second stage or interviews if your DD has got through to lots and especially if she already has an acceptance). And, of course, how aspirational you are - going for 3 'aspirational' schools is rather different than going for 3 that are a mix.

I cannot agree more with @EmotiveBubblez that it is a minefield. We are all trying our best but all (at least me) not sure if we are doing the right thing. But, from speaking from parents that have gone through the process before, and that approached it in different ways, most DC end up in the 'right' place (it might not be evident at first but, in many occasions, emerges later).

And, of course, this thread will help us to navigate things together..

One hurdle is if a school requires either multiple test days or if they only interview a select number of applicants. Some DC's do not react well to hearing that "you didn't make it to the next stage of the process" and then the next day they have to go into another school's exam. It's tricky to manage. Some parents lie to the DC's in order to keep their spirits up. Just depends on the DC.

@bjmin good points, there are so many things to think about.

such a tough process for 10/11 years olds to go through.